Cycling: Georg Steinhauser secured his stage victory at the Giro d'Italia. The German was initially part of a breakaway group, then a duo and finally, as a soloist on the Passo Brocon, he was able to celebrate his first day's victory on a Grand Tour.
Steinhauser just doesn't give up and is rewarded
He came so close to a stage win when he finished third in Livigno two days ago. Now he's finally done it. Georg Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost) won the 159-kilometer stage from Selva di Val Gardena to Passo Brocon. The 22-year-old son of former professional cyclist Tobias Steinhauser and nephew of Jan Ullrich can thus celebrate his first stage victory in his first Grand Tour. And he deserved it, as he was active all day and never let a group get away without being part of it himself. In the general classification, Tadej Pogacar (UAE) was able to further extend his lead. There were no time gaps between Daniel Martinez (Bora – hansgrohe) and Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).
Fight for the first breakaway group
The race started with an uphill climb right from the beginning. Unsurprisingly, numerous attacks set a high pace in the peloton, which was significantly reduced after just a few kilometers. Even over the crest of the hill and during the subsequent very long descent of the Passo Sella, the action didn't settle down initially. After a long battle, ten riders managed to break away, including once again the German Georg Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost). Only then did the pace in the group of favorites ease somewhat, allowing some riders who had been dropped to rejoin the group. However, UAE Team Emirates didn't allow the breakaway any significant advantage today.
The composition of today's breakaway group
- George Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost)
- Marco Frigo (Israel – Premier Tech)
- Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl – Trek)
- Nairo Quintana (movistar)
- Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal – Quick Step)
- Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè)
- David Ballerini (Astana)
- Damian Caruso (Bahrain-Victorious)
- Nicola Conci (Alpecin – Deceuninck)
- Attila Valter (Visma – Lease a Bike)
DSM chases after the group
But UAE Team Emirates wasn't solely responsible for the ten breakaway riders not gaining a significant advantage. During the stage, the Dutch team dsm-firmenich PostNL also joined the chase. This reduced the gap to less than a minute. At the foot of the Passo Gobbera, Romain Bardet (dsm-firmenich PostNL) launched his attack, but the man in pink stayed right on his wheel – and the peloton splintered into numerous small groups. This was obviously far from ideal for the breakaway group, which was caught with over 60 kilometers to go. However, the escape was certainly worthwhile for Giulio Pellizzari (VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè). The Italian won the mountain classifications on the Passo Sella and the Passo Rolle, putting him in a strong position behind Tadej Pogacar (UAE) in the mountains classification.
Ghebreigzabhier and Steinhauser attack again
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl – Trek) was feeling really good today . After being caught, the Eritrean simply attacked again. Georg Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost) also refused to accept the failure of his breakaway. This time as a duo, they broke away from the favorites' group. But Team dsm-firmenich PostNL didn't let up and increased the pace again up the Passo Brocon. Later, Team Soudal – Quick-Step also joined the attack. But the gap continued to widen. And shortly before the summit, the German climber even managed to drop his companion. From then on, Steinhauser rode solo. He won the mountain classification with a lead of around 30 seconds over Ghebreigzabhier and had a cushion of approximately two minutes over the peloton.
Pogacar attacks on the final climb
Reaching the valley floor, the route climbed the Passo Brocon once more – this time on the other side. With a 2:30-minute lead over the favorites, Georg Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost) could realistically dream of a stage win. The teams that had been chasing him seemed to have given up. Only Ineos Grenadiers remained at the front of the reduced peloton, but the British team apparently had no intention of catching Steinhauser. Instead, they were focused on securing crucial seconds in the GC. However, with 2,5 kilometers to go, Daniel Martinez (Bora – hansgrohe) launched the first attack. At that point, the gap to Steinhauser was still 2:30 minutes. But then Tadej Pogacar (UAE) arrived. The Slovenian had intended to ride for his teammate Rafal Majka (UAE) today. When Majka signaled that he no longer had the strength, Pogacar rose from the saddle. But it wasn't enough for him. Not this time. The victory goes to Georg Steinhauser (EF Education – EasyPost)!
GEORG STEINHAUSER GANA LA ETAPA 17 #GirodItalia | #Winner #Trenitalia | @EFprocycling pic.twitter.com/MAGC3WetyW
— Huesitos de la communication (@Christo_crazy) May 22, 2024